


All That You Are

by fitz-and-simmons (fitzandjemma)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Perthshire Cottage, Time Jump, hospital room, it's just two wildly different scenes, jemma is like low key hurt but she's fine don't worry, lemme know if there's any kind of plot here lmao, one of which is mildly angsty and one of which is just pointless fluff, puppy, so they're like mid to late 30s?, what even is this i should be revising
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6570019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fitzandjemma/pseuds/fitz-and-simmons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set years later, FitzSimmons wonder if they're finally ready to move on from the Shield lifestyle. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Her chest rose and fell steadily, if slowly. A faint rattling, rasping sound could be heard from its depths, among the silence and his own breathing. </p><p>Over their long and distinguished SHEILD career there had been too many situations that mirrored this one, too many hospital rooms with one in a bed and the other patiently waiting at their side. Fitz wasn’t sure how much longer they could keep going. One day, he was sure, that steady blip blip blip of the heart monitor would fall silent for one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So they're like mid to late 30s here and a bunch of time has passed. 
> 
> I just had an image in my head that I needed to get out so have fun trying to figure out the purpose of this ;) 
> 
> Psst also fic title from Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran... mostly because I had it on repeat whilst writing. And I couldn't think of anything else.

Her chest rose and fell steadily, if slowly. A faint rattling, rasping sound could be heard from its depths, among the silence and his own breathing. 

Fitz was mostly trying to focus on his relief that she was able to breathe unaided, instead of the other nasty emotions brewing in his stomach. Last time they’d been in this position she’d needed respiratory help. 

Over their long and distinguished SHEILD career there had been too many situations that mirrored this one, too many hospital rooms with one in a bed and the other patiently waiting at their side. Fitz wasn’t sure how much longer they could keep going. One day, he was sure, that steady blip blip blip of the heart monitor would fall silent for one of them. 

They’d been on a field op and some idiot Hydra agents had thought it was a good idea to throw a fire bomb - of all things! He’d been on the other side of the building without comms and hadn’t found out what had happened until May had run onto the quinjet with Jemma in her arms. She’d breathed in a lot of smoke and had a few minor burns, with one nasty one on her calf but ultimately she’d recover. Thank God. 

Fitz was sat in a hard plastic chair pulled up beside her bed, her cold limp hand in his. His eyes ran over her. Her strength and bravery were such that he often forgot how small she really was. But sick beds had a way of even making even lions seems weak. 

Her eyes began to flicker and eventually they opened. She was pale and she was in pain but she was still alive and always fighting. 

“Hi.” She croaked and gave him a small smile. 

“Hey.” He whispered back. “How you feeling?” He grinned softly and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. 

“Hmm.” She pretended to think. “A tad sore. But I’ve had worse.” She spoke slowly, the painkillers slurring her voice a smidge. 

“I know.” He said, his voice tinged with melancholy. “But you’re a survivor. Strongest person I know. And that’s- that’s saying something because we know people who can make earthquakes and drop kick bad guys.” She giggled at his bad joke and he beamed back until it turned into a hacking cough. 

“Oh crap, hang on. There’s some water here do you-?” The doctor had left a cup on the bedside table for such a reaction. She took the glass from him and gulped it down. 

“I’m fine I’m fine.” She said once she was done, some of the water dribbling down her chin. “Don’t fuss.” 

“Sorry.” He said quietly, taking the empty glass and putting it back on the table. 

“It’s fine.” She sighed. “I know what it’s like to be the one beside the bed.” 

And she did, from the first coma, to minor scrapes, to a serious bullet wound that had needed several operations and long months of recovery. Fitz still felt it in cold weather. They both had scars. 

“It always ends up here, doesn’t it?” He asked softly. “Me, you, hospital room. Do you ever think we’ll get too old for this?” 

“Maybe.” She closed her eyes. “I’m so tired Fitz. And not because of the…”

“Morphine.”

“It’s good stuff.” She smirked. “But I think I’ve been tired for a long time. This life takes a toll on you. I’m so-” Her voice broke off. “I’m so frightened all the time.” She whispered the last sentence, as though to admit such a thing was a great and terrible weakness, something she could trust to him and only him. 

“Hey.” He leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She opened them again. “It’s okay to be afraid. I am too. I’m petrified. But as soon as you like, just say the word and we can leave. There’s always our cottage, remember?” 

Many years ago, sometime after the defeat of Hive, they’d bought a cosy cabin in Perthshire to one day perhaps retire to. It had sat patiently waiting for them whilst they had saved the world from aliens and maniacs. 

Jemma smiled at the thought, her eyes filling with tears. 

“I’d like that.” She said, her voice small and hopeful. 


	2. Chapter 2

One month later Jemma was back up and bossing him about as they moved the boxes into their new home. 

“Now that one goes in the kitchen but it’s mostly test tubes- no not that one, that’s glassware. And a few beakers. Careful Fitz you’ll chip them! I knew we should’ve asked Mack to come and help.” 

“You could pitch in you know.” He replied cheekily, mopping his brow for effect. 

“I would but I’m not sure I could trust you to follow the unpacking plan.” She said, brandishing her binder filled with calculations, sketches, and neatly ordered lists on how to best organise their new home. 

“I am shocked and hurt that you do not trust me to follow the binder.” He deadpanned. “You know what a respect I have for your binders.” She rolled her eyes at him and he turned away grinning to haul the box into the kitchen. As he placed it onto the table the doorbell rang. 

“Ooo I’ll get it!” She ran past him, in an unusual display of childish glee. Fitz wasn’t sure why she was so excited, it was most likely someone trying to get them to buy insurance. A minute later she ran back empty handed. 

“So...” She was breathless. “So you know a monkey would smash up our very pretty cottage right? You can’t have a monkey.”

“Must you wound me this way?”

“But I have a compromise.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door. 

“Jemma, what is this?” He asked, slightly frightened she may have fallen back into her passion for taxidermy. A dead monkey would certainly be more morbid than fun. 

In reply, she flung open the door. On the steps stood an old-ish woman in a bodywarmer and plaid shirt, holding a weeny puppy in her hands. 

“This is Mandy.” Jemma said. “She breeds puppies. And this is… well we haven’t actually named her yet.” The puppy was a brown sausage dog, with a short coat and the littlest legs Fitz had ever seen. 

“You can hold her if you like.” Said a slightly bemused Mandy, and Fitz was comforted by her familiar Scottish accent. It would be good when everyone sounded like home again. 

He took the puppy into his arms. 

“Oh!” He breathed. “Oh she’s so cute! Hi! Hi baby girl! Who’s a good girl?” He could hear Jemma chuckle at his squeeing. The puppy wagged her tail happily. 

“Well, I’ll leave you both to it.” Said Mandy. “Give me a ring if you have any questions.”

She and Jemma said their farewells, Mandy left, and the door shut. 

“Do you like her?” Jemma asked, a note of nervousness to her voice. “I thought she’d be a nice surprise. Sort of like a housewarming gift.” 

Fitz looked up from the puppy to her, and was once again blown away by how well she knew him, how perfect she was, and by how much he loved her. 

“I’d kiss you.” He said breathlessly. “But I don’t want to squish our new family member.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want a dog so I gave them a dog and I can vicariously live through them. Good good. 
> 
> Why Mandy? Who knows, I'm just a crazy cat. What's the dog called? Who knows, I'm a maverick that way
> 
> I could have posted this all in one but both scenes are wildly different so I guess they get their own chapters even though they're so short.


End file.
